


The Paradox of Doctor Destroyer

by segerge



Series: TASK FORCE [9]
Category: HERO Champions
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 05:49:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5036212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/segerge/pseuds/segerge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(April 1986) TASK FORCE races to keep the fabled Nazi time-travelling wunderwaffen "Die Glocke" (The Bell) out of Doctor Destroyer's hands.  Will they succeed?</p><p>Special Guest Villain: Dr. Tara Lemick as Lady Blue</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Paradox of Doctor Destroyer

**Author's Note:**

> **warnings** : language, mature situations, off-screen sex, temporal paradoxii
> 
> * * *
> 
> #### Dramatis Personae
> 
> **Task Force (Dallas-Fort Worth supergroup)**
> 
>   * Ted Jameson (AKA Ranger), CEO of ProStar, speedster and team leader
>   * Julie Dormyer (AKA Ladyhawk), Chairman of the Board of Directors for ProStar, ninja with latent powers of temporal visualization
>   * Dr. Bob Hawkins (AKA Starforce), Senior Research Scientist for ProStar, power-armor wearer/gadgeteer
>   * Rev. Kent Christiansen (AKA Spiritual Warrior), Associate Pastor of Carrolton Park Church, mage with a holy sword
>   * Frederick 'Bowser' Bastable (AKA Mr. Bassman), jazz artist and mutant sonic projector
>   * Zes'arou Al'Gari Vikon (AKA Sage), exiled alien psionic
> 

> 
> **villains**
> 
>   * Shamareeth (AKA Vibron), standed superpowered criminal from the Andromeda galaxy, from 6th edition Champions Universe
>   * u-Vareeta Hoki (AKA Nebula), stranded law-enforcement officer from the Andromeda galaxy, from 6th edition Champions Universe
>   * Dr. Tara Lemick (AKA Lady Blue), power-armor wearer & social justice warrior
>   * Dr. Albert Zerstoiten (AKA Dr. Destroyer), expy of Dr. Doom in the Champions Universe timeline
> 

> 
> **others**
> 
>   * Shina Arikawa, butler/chauffer/bodyguard for Julie Dormyer (her 'Alfred')
>   * Dave Ellsworth, executive Vice President, Trinity River Financial Group
>   * Col John Murphy, USA, Commander of the Army Research Laboratory, White Sands Missile Range, NM
> 

> 
> **AUTHOR'S NOTE 1** : Internal monologue is denoted by [[ ]], telepathy by (( ))

(Outside Carrolton State Bank North Branch, Carrolton, TX. Wednesday mid-afternoon)

(Bowser 'Mr. Bassman' Bastable has just pulled into the parking lot to deposit a check)

 **Mr. Bassman** (internal monologue): [[doing the bank, check. Next stop, groceries]]

(as he gets out of the car, alarms go off in the bank)

 **Mr. Bassman** : "Not now!"

(he jumps over his car to use it as a shield just as a green long-headed humanoid runs desolid through the front wall of the bank carrying large amounts of cash)

 **Mr. Bassman** : "Vibron? In our town?"

(Vibron stops on a dime upon hearing this and launches a vibration blast toward Mr. Bassman)

(Bassman half-move sonic teleports out of the way and hits with an infrasonic blast)

 **Vibron** : "Love to stay and chat, but I have places to be."

(Another vibration blast sends a shockwave through the pavement, knocking Mr. Bassman down. By the time he's back on his feet, Vibron is gone)

(Dusting himself off, Mr. Bassman walks back to his car. Or more properly, what's left of it)

 **Mr. Bassman** : "Aw MAN! I JUST paid it off!!"

* * *

(Fish Hatchery Road, approaching Lewisville Dam. Wednesday night)

(Bob 'Starforce' Hawkins is driving home from choir practice, paying more attention to his car's CD player than he is the deserted road)

 **Starforce** : "The harmonies are SO cool right there..."

(He rewinds that particular section of 'The Majesty and Glory of Your Name' AGAIN. Which is why the humanoid form that suddenly appears in his headlights while crawling across the road catches him by surprise...)

 **Starforce** (standing on the brakes): "SHIIIIII..."

(his Corvette stops just short of the form. He hits the hazard lights and gets out)

 **Starforce** : "Excuse me, are you OK?"

(The humanoid form looks up at him. Female, red skin with exotic face markings, long white hair, and pupilless eyes. She has just been in a fight and lost badly)

 **Starforce** : "Let me get you a blanket. I'll be right back."

(he runs to his car and grabs a blanket from behind the driver's seat)

 **Starforce** (carrying blanket to humanoid): "Don't know why I even CARRY it in Texas. I needed one in Indiana for the winters there..." (beat, covers humanoid) "There you go. Can you walk?"

(the humanoid nods. Bob helps her into the passenger seat of his car, then gets in himself and turns the flashers off before driving off)

 **Starforce** : "I'm Bob."

 **Nebula** : "The people of your planet have called me 'Nebula.'"

 **Starforce** : "I've read about you."

 **Nebula** : "You are not bothered that I am not from 'around here?'"

 **Starforce** (accelerating up onto Lewisville Dam): "I fight alongside an alien prince who hails from the far side of this galaxy. Law enforcement officers from *another* galaxy don't bother me. At least as long as they don't pronounce sentence on me for some trivial violation of the Supreme Code..."

 **Nebula** : "If you were violating the Supreme Code right now, I am afraid that I am hardly in a position to pass judgement."

(she holds both arms, which are missing golden gauntlets that should be on them)

 **Starforce** : "Oh, right." (beat) "We'll be at my apartment in under 15 minutes. I can get the simpler wounds cleaned up and get you rehydrated. If necessary, I can phone another friend from there who can fix any major damage you might have."

 **Nebula** : "Some... discretion might be advisable."

 **Starforce** : "How's that?"

 **Nebula** : "I don't have the best of reputations on your world, and I am not exactly in the best of condition to defend myself right now."

 **Starforce** (beat): "You'll be safe with me. I promise."

* * *

(Granite Park, Plano, TX. Thursday noon. Julie 'Ladyhawk' Dormyer is enjoying some sun and a little fresh air during her lunchtime with Dave Ellsworth)

 **Dave** : "So are we good for tomorrow?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "I look forward to it."

 **Dave** (hugs Julie): "See you after work tomorrow, then."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Bye."

(Julie watches him walk off, then turns to walk back to ProStar)

 **Ladyhawk** (internal monologue): [[Why do I find him so shallow and lacking?]]

(a short, long-haired blonde with a baseball cap shading her face bumps Julie along the jogging path)

 **Ladyhawk** (instinctively): "Oh, I'm sorry."

 **Lady Blue** : "That's awfully clumsy of you, Julie Warbucks."

(Julie stops cold because she instantly recognized the voice)

 **Ladyhawk** : "You have a LOT of guts to come here right now."

 **Lady Blue** : "And you have a lot of guts to steal Bob from me just to callously dump him for some rich twit."

 **Ladyhawk** : "WHAT are you talking about?"

 **Lady Blue** : "The banker prick who asked you out for tomorrow night. Hello? Telescopic hearing?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "So is that why you're here? To fight me over my choice in men?"

 **Lady Blue** : "Tempting, but no. I need to talk to you."

 **Ladyhawk** : "You're not here to steal from the rich and give to the poor, either?"

 **Lady Blue** (sighs): "Fine. Give me your wallet."

 **Ladyhawk** : "No."

 **Lady Blue** : "Okay then. Now that we've gotten THAT out of the way, CAN WE TALK?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Something really *does* have you worked up!" (internal monologue) [[also, my danger sense HASN'T been going off]]

(Julie indicates a picnic table off the jogging trail, and they go sit down at it)

 **Lady Blue** : "December 9th, 1965. A fireball streaked across the sky between Detroit and Pittsburgh, witnessed by thousands in six states plus southern Ontario. 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, something fell out of the sky near Kecksburg. Eyewitnesses said the US Army was there immediately and evacuated a large object that looked like..."

(she takes a photo out of the folder she had been carrying and shows Julie)

 **Lady Blue** (continuing): "*This*"

(the picture is of a large, metallic, sort-of-bell-shaped object dwarfing the man standing next to it. There are Nordic runes around the base, and an embossed swastika on its body.)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Why does it have a swastika on it?"

 **Lady Blue** : "Because it's actually a secret German project from World War 2. It's called Die Glocke. The best English translation would be 'the Bell.'"

 **Ladyhawk** : "What was it supposed to do?"

 **Lady Blue** : "Die Glocke was a testbed to investigate using focused electrogravitics to warp space and time. What little I've found suggests they were more successful with warping time. It went missing in late 1944 following an Allied raid on its lab."

 **Ladyhawk** (catching the implications quickly): "Could someone have been trying to escape and ended up in 1965?"

 **Lady Blue** : "That, or a test flight got disrupted."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Where did the Army take it after it crashed?"

 **Lady Blue** : "To an old air force base outside Columbus, OH, since abandoned. The Air Force then flew it from there to a secure, undisclosed location." (beat) "Well, at least it WAS undisclosed until a few days ago..."

 **Ladyhawk** : "And this is where TASK FORCE comes into the picture."

 **Lady Blue** : "For old money, you can be pretty smart at times." (beat) "Dr. Destroyer has been interested in its whereabouts for years. Two days ago, he discovered where it was stashed."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Oh, crap!"

 **Lady Blue** : "Yeah."

 **Ladyhawk** : "How did you find this out?"

 **Lady Blue** : "You don't need to know." (hands a thick folder to Julie) "This contains everything I've discovered to date about Die Glocke. Hand it to Bob, he always got off on weird UFO shit."

 **Ladyhawk** : "I'll make sure he gets it. Thank you."

 **Lady Blue** (getting up to leave): "Don't thank me until you stop Destroyer."

* * *

(CEO Office, ProStar. 15 minutes later)

 **Intercom** : "Dr. Hawkins is here."

 **Ranger** : "Send him in."

(Bob enters. He registers Julie's presence, and his face hardens)

 **Starforce** (to Ted): "You wanted to see me?"

 **Ranger** (handing Bob the folder): "I need your opinion on this."

(Bob ruffles through the folder)

 **Starforce** : "These notes are in Tara's handwriting! Where did you get this folder?"

 **Ladyhawk** (sarcastically): "He skips *right* over the time-travelling Nazi wonder-weapon and strikes right to the heart of the matter..."

 **Ranger** (sharply): "Julie? Focus."

(Bob ruffles through the folder some more)

 **Starforce** (absently): "Ooooh, she proved a Kecksburg tie-in! Always wondered about that..."

 **Ranger** : "You're familiar with this Die Glocke?"

 **Starforce** : "Tara mentioned it a few times when we worked together. She was an absolute *genius* when it came to uncovering Nazi electrogravitics research."

(Bob finishes ruffling through the folder, flipping the last page of information back and forth a few times)

 **Starforce** (beat, then to Julie): "Tara didn't happen to mention WHERE our military had stashed Die Glocke, did she?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Wait, HOW did you know she saw me?"

 **Starforce** : "Ted takes his lunch at his desk, you require fresh air and sunshine during your lunch, *and* you're easier for her to beat one-on-one in a fight should it have come to that." (beat) "Also, you just admitted it to my face."

(Julie looks angrily at Bob)

 **Ranger** (muttered): "Blunt, but succinct."

 **Starforce** : "Original question please, Ms. Dormyer?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "No, she didn't."

 **Starforce** (looking off into the distance): "Which means either she didn't know herself or she thought it would be so glaringly obvious to me that it wouldn't need mentioning."

 **Ranger** : "Anything come to mind?"

 **Starforce** : "Other than Groom Lake in Nevada? No."

 **Ladyhawk** : "I'm not familiar with Groom Lake."

 **Starforce** : "Auxilliary airfield to Nellis AFB at the opposite end of the Nevada Test Range from Las Vegas. The Air Force does a lot of top-secret development work there that no one is supposed to know about."

 **Ranger** : "And how would *you* know that much about it?"

 **Starforce** : "Because SOMEBODY associated with the Air Force office that runs Groom Lake has been neck-deep in electrogravitics research since before I was born. Michael Renton could never patent his advances in electrogravitics that powered the 'Jules Verne' because of them. Tara was unable to patent HER advances when we were working on the Mark I because of them, and I've been unable to make any headway with the Patent Office since then because of them." (beat) "You'd be amazed at what you can deduce from FOIA request denials."

 **Ladyhawk** (beat, impressed): "We have a winner."

 **Ranger** : "Bob, take the folder and memorize it. I have to make a phone call now." (beat, dialing his phone while cradling the headset) "I just hope I'm not too late."

 **Starforce** (looking at the folder he has now inherited): "Well, at least I have the *easy* job..."

* * *

(Stately Dormyer Manor, Lakewood Village, TX. late Thursday afternoon)

(The door to the guest apartment unlocks and opens)

 **Starforce** : "KITTY!"

(Merlyn chirps and meows from the back of the sofa as Bob enters. Nebula is up and around, wearing Bob's bathrobe)

 **Starforce** (to Nebula): "How are you doing?"

 **Nebula** : "Much better now, thank you." (beat) "Your companion animal seems to have finally accepted me."

 **Starforce** (putting briefcase on dining room table): "It takes him a while. Less if you have mental powers."

 **Nebula** : "Oh?"

 **Starforce** (moving to kitchen with Merlyn in hot pursuit): "The Varanyi psionic who lives in one of the second floor bedrooms says he is *very* intelligent. Me, I think Merlyn just likes the flattery."

 **Nebula** (laughs): "You contradict your friend's statement yet confirm it in the same sentence!"

(Merlyn meows while standing up on his hind paws and trying to snag one of Bob's arms as he gets the cat food)

 **Starforce** (to Merlyn): "Will you settle down? I'm working as fast as I can!"

(Nebula smiles as Bob finishes putting food and fresh water down for his cat)

 **Starforce** (to Nebula): "Can I get you something to drink?"

 **Nebula** : "I'm fine, thank you."

(Bob gets himself a Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator, walks out into the dining/living room, straddles one of the dining room chairs, and looks at his houseguest)

 **Starforce** : "I was a little busy treating you last night to ask what happened to you. I'm sorry."

 **Nebula** : "Your priorities were correct. I was attacked."

 **Starforce** : "I figured *that* out already."

 **Nebula** : "I was assaulted by a combined force of human agents and robots. I can provide a sketch of the robots."

 **Starforce** (handing her a pencil and a pad of graph paper from off the dining room table): "Please?"

(she starts drawing rapidly)

 **Starforce** : "You seem to have some talent."

 **Nebula** : "Something I've enjoyed since I was a child. If I hadn't tested so high for joining the Tel'narian Guard, I probably would have become an artist." (beat, then hands the pad back to Bob) "Does this help?"

 **Starforce** (eyes wide with shock): "Are you sure about this?"

 **Nebula** : "Yes. You look like you recognize it."

 **Starforce** : "You've just drawn a Destroid, a robotic minion of the human supervillain Dr. Destroyer."

 **Nebula** : "I've heard of him."

 **Starforce** : "And they took your armor..." (growing horror) "...and GAUNTLETS."

 **Nebula** : "What's wrong?"

 **Starforce** : "Your Duress gauntlets. How do they work?"

 **Nebula** : "They establish a one-way portal to a pocket dimension engineered long ago by Republic science."

 **Starforce** (opening briefcase and taking out Lady Blue's folder): "Could their technology also be used for time travel?"

 **Nebula** : "I am not sure. I'm not a scientist."

 **Starforce** : "I'm going to assume a worst-case scenario here and say, 'Yes.' We REALLY need to find your gauntlets."

 **Nebula** : "How can I help?"

 **Starforce** : "Uhh... give me a moment."

(he gets up and runs into his bedroom. A moment later, he comes out with the mask from his powered armor)

 **Starforce** (strapping mask on and activating it): "May I see your hands, please?"

(Nebula holds out her hands. He holds them up to his mask and looks intently at them)

 **Nebula** : "You are looking for... what?"

 **Starforce** : "Side effects of your gauntlet usage. And... yep, there they are. Slightly higher-than-normal ionization damage from close exposure to gamma rays, and trace responses to electrogravitic flux."

 **Nebula** : "So you can use those side effects to find my gauntlets, then?"

 **Starforce** (shuts mask down and takes it off): "I could, but I'd have to be almost on top of them to see them. What would be better would be to detect the particle which CREATES both gamma radiation and an electrogravitic flux as a side effect." (beat, distantly) "It'd have to be a pretty massive one to also generate and stabilize a traversable Einstein-Rosen bridge..."

(Bob's eyes roll up to the ceiling)

 **Nebula** : "Are you OK?"

 **Starforce** (squeezes her hand): "I'm fine. I do this when I'm attempting tensor calculus in my head..." (beat) "Ah, THERE! Now to double-check..."

(he doodles some equations out on the pad next to the sketch of the Destroid)

 **Starforce** (continuing): "Yeah, I got that right!"

 **Nebula** : "You can find them, then?"

 **Starforce** (smiles): "Yes." (beat, clearing the dining room table and switching to faux-heroic voice) "Stand aside, citizen, I'm in build mode!"

* * *

(Granite Park, Plano, TX. Friday noon)

(Ted meets Julie as she is walking out of ProStar)

 **Ladyhawk** : "This isn't like you!"

 **Ranger** : "It took Bob to remind me yesterday that I was becoming a workaholic."

 **Ladyhawk** : "As I recall, you weren't even the intended target of his line." (beat) "Any luck with PRIMUS?"

 **Ranger** (sighs): "The Golden Avenger is out on assignment. No one would take my calls either yesterday *or* this morning."

 **Ladyhawk** : "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to submit to a bureacracy?"

 **Ranger** (chuckles): "You ought to write that down."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Please tell me *we* aren't going to have to go to Groom Lake to stop Destroyer."

 **Ranger** (looks off): "That would be very difficult to explain on so many levels."

(alarms start going off in the building they are now passing, which has a bank on its ground floor. People start running away from the building. Ted grabs a passer-by)

 **Ranger** : "What's going on?"

 **Random Person** : "That green dude from Andromeda's in there, man! Don't go there!"

(he runs off)

 **Ranger** : "Vibron?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Just ONCE this week I would like to spend a lunch hour where I DIDN'T have to deal with supervillains!"

* * *

(Dallas First National Bank Granite Park Branch, ten seconds later)

 **Ladyhawk** (crashing through front window, throwing pellets): "Suprise!"

(6d6 Flash Pellet blinds Vibron)

(Ranger 15d6 Move-by strike CON-stuns Vibron)

 **Ladyhawk** (while using 3d6 4 DEF entangle to immobilize Vibron): "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind?"

 **Ranger** (to people in the bank): "Situation's under control. Carry on."

 **Vibron** : "What have you done with Vareeta?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Excuse me?"

 **Vibron** : "Curse your stupid, barbaric language! Nebula! What have you done with her?"

 **Ranger** : "We haven't done anything to her."

 **Vibron** : "I've been in your city for two days and she isn't here! She was supposed to be here by now chasing me!"

 **Ladyhawk** (playing a sudden hunch): "Who hired you?"

 **Vibron** : "They wouldn't tell me. All they wanted was for me to start a crime spree and fix Nebula's attention in your city."

(Ranger and Ladyhawk look at each other)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Sounds like someone was attempting to set a trap..."

 **Ranger** (to Vibron): "...and used *you* as the bait. How does that make you feel?"

 **Vibron** (beat): "Used."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Hope you got paid in advance."

 **Vibron** (now recovered from being Flashed): "Hope you didn't need your swingline..."

(Vibron +60 STR to escape Entangles/Grabs destroys Ladyhawk's Entangle. Vibron runs off and vanishes in the distance)

 **Ranger** : "Great. We not only have to deal with a time-travelling plot by Dr. Destroyer, we can now expect a visit from Nebula trying to hunt Vibron down."

 **Ladyhawk** : "This day just keeps getting better and better."

* * *

(Guest Apartment, Stately Dormyer Manor. Friday Evening)

(Nebula is watching TV from Bob's couch, probably a rerun of 'Miami Vice' given it's 1986. Bob is working on a sensor to detect her Duress Gauntlets)

 **Nebula** : "The police procedures on your world leave a LOT to be desired."

 **Starforce** (soldering a connection): "Police don't actually work like that in real life. The producers of that show take liberties with reality as long as the end result looks -- and sounds -- awesome."

(headlights come up the driveway to Stately Dormyer Manor. Bob looks up quizzically, then checks his watch)

 **Starforce** : "They're home early."

 **Nebula** : "That would be Ms. Dormyer?"

 **Starforce** : "She had a date."

 **Nebula** : "What's a date? It's something I hear about on your planet's media all the time."

 **Starforce** (beat): "An informal meeting between two humans to determine mutual compatibility for a deeper relationship." (beat, to himself while waking his home computer up) "You know, it sounds so impersonal when I phrase it like that..."

(Bob double-clicks on an icon labeled "Front Porch." Immediately, he has a live video feed of the portico. The car has just come to a stop)

 **Nebula** : "What are you doing?"

 **Starforce** : "Practicing for when I become the father of a daughter."

(the car is motionless for a moment, then rocks violently for several seconds. Julie flings the door open, slams the door shut violently, then storms out of the camera's field of view. After another moment, the car slowly drives off)

 **Starforce** : "Okay, that's different."

 **Nebula** : "How is that?"

 **Starforce** : "Usually, her dates are incapable of driving off under their own power after she's through with them."

 **Nebula** : "Is she deliberately attacking them? That would be 20 to 30 years in Duress depending on the injuries inflicted..."

 **Starforce** : "She's defending herself from them."

 **Nebula** : "Why would she keep dating men who want to attack her all the time?"

 **Starforce** (soldering): "I don't know. Perhaps the men are misinterpreting the way she is behaving and what she is saying. That makes them think she wants more from them in the way of a physical relationship than she actually does. They act rather than ask for clarification, and the rest is history." (beat) "I should point out that I'm *really* not an expert on interpersonal relationships between human sexes."

 **Nebula** : "Your culture wouldn't have those types of problems under the Supreme Code." (beat) "I am sorry, Robert. I am distracting you from building the detector."

 **Starforce** (closes video feed): "It's not a problem, Vareeta. Really."

(long pause, held gaze)

 **Starforce** : "How lonely is it for you being over 2 million light-years from everything you've known your whole life?"

 **Nebula** : "Some days are worse than others. It helps to try and catch Shamareeth... uh, Vibron. That gives me something to focus on."

(Bob has moved away from the table and is now sitting on the back of the couch. Their gaze is still held)

 **Nebula** (continuing): "In the year that I have been on your world, you are the first human to ask me that."

 **Starforce** : "Probably because everyone's too afraid of those Duress Gauntlets of yours to get to know you."

(She looks at her hands, then smiles. Reaching up toward Bob, she brings his head down close enough so that they rub noses. Bob looks confused)

 **Nebula** (smiling): "A sign of personal affection between Yuun'ta. You have nothing similar on Earth?"

 **Starforce** (internal monologue): [[Okay, Bob. Don't panic. What would Captain Kirk do?]] (spoken) "On Earth, we kiss."

 **Nebula** : "I've seen that on your planet's media! Does it go like this?"

(she kisses Bob quickly on the lips)

 **Starforce** (beat): "I think it's supposed to go slower. So you can enjoy it..."

(she kisses Bob MUCH more slowly, which becomes more passionately. Bob's eyes grow very wide. Long pause, held gaze)

 **Starforce** : "When I find your gauntlets, are you going to send me to Duress for seducing a member of the Tel'narian Guard?"

 **Nebula** : "That would only be a violation were I on duty."

(she grabs Bob)

 **Starforce** : "ACK!"

(he lands on top of Nebula, having been dragged off the couch's back)

 **Nebula** : "I'm off-duty."

* * *

(Stately Dormyer Manor. The next morning)

 **Ladyhawk** (knocking on door into the Guest Apartment): "Nerd-boy? Dining Room, half an hour. Team meeting, more stuff has come up."

 **Starforce** (muffled, through door): "Be out in a few."

(Julie runs down the stairs into the Mud Room and shortly ends up in the kitchen. Shina Arikawa is cooking breakfast while talking with Vikon. Julie sneaks some bacon from the griddle)

 **Shina** (continuing to cook): "I am always amazed that you Americans don't have a higher mortality rate from both your food and its preparation."

 **Ladyhawk** (eating the bacon she stole): "That which does not kill us makes us stronger. I think it was a finalist for the Texas state motto."

(Bob enters the kitchen. So does Merlyn. So does Nebula, who somehow manages to make one of Bob's t-shirts look small) /* Most Common Superpower, anyone? */

(shocked expressions from both Julie and Vikon. Merlyn could care less because Shina is frying bacon)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Bob, DO YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS?"

 **Starforce** : "I am perfectly aware of Vareeta's reputation."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Oh, we're on a FIRST-NAME basis with her, now? Do you know how many people she's KILLED in the past year?"

 **Starforce** : "She hasn't killed anyone. She's sent them to another dimension. Seriously, don't you READ your copy of the PRIMUS Superhuman Survey?"

 **Ladyhawk** (beat, gasping in disbelief): "WHY is she in MY house?"

 **Starforce** : "I ran into her coming back from choir rehearsal Wednesday night. She had been attacked by Destroyer-agents and Destroids, and needed my help."

 **Sage** (whose eyes have just finished glowing): "You had a very funny way of helping her last night, Dr. Hawkins. Seriously, that's SO disgusting!"

(Julie's eyes somehow manage to widen in more shock than they already are. She looks accusingly at Bob and Nebula)

 **Nebula** : "It started with a frank discussion on the compatibility of Yuun'ta and Human sexual organs..."

 **Starforce** (interrupting): "Followed very quickly by a panicked discussion on whether Humanity and the Yuun'ta were interfertile..."

 **Nebula** (interrupting): "Finally concluding with several hours of what Robert called, 'data acquisition.'"

(Julie's mouth is hanging open in shock. Bob is blushing furiously with embarrassment)

 **Starforce** : "In my defense, Ms. Dormyer, exactly WHY do you care?" (beat) "In light of YOUR date last night, make it a good answer."

/* if anyone cares, Bob lost his virginity last night */

* * *

(dining room, Stately Dormyer Manor. Fifteen minutes later. The rest of TASK FORCE has arrived)

 **Ranger** (to Julie): "How did your date go?"

 **Ladyhawk** (glaring at Bob): "It went."

 **Starforce** : "I think she's coming down with something. She usually doesn't leave them capable of driving themselves to the ER."

 **Ladyhawk** (muttering): "Says the man who spent last night boldly going where no man has gone before."

 **Mr. Bassman** : "I'm missing something here."

 **Sage** : "You're better for it. Trust me."

 **Ranger** : "Okay, Bob. I have waited VERY patiently so I don't have to hear the same story several different times. Why is Nebula here?"

 **Starforce** (sipping coffee): "Wednesday night, I was driving home from choir practice when I almost hit her on the road by Lewisville Dam. She had been worked over pretty bad by a team of Destroyer-agents and Destroids, who appeared be *very* interested in her Duress Gauntlets."

 **Ranger** : "And I am only hearing about this now because..."

 **Starforce** : "Tara dropped her Big Folder of All Things Related to Die Glocke on Julie the next day. Which, in my defense, you ordered me to memorize without asking about anything else happening in my life at that moment which might *interfere* with said task."

(Ranger facepalms and shakes his head)

 **Nebula** : "Also in Robert's defense, he has been building a sensor which will help him find my Gauntlets."

(Ranger looks up. Bob holds up the completed sensor)

 **Starforce** (pointedly to both Julie and Vikon): "We weren't *entirely* busy with biological research last night."

 **Spiritual Warrior** (figuring out what everyone else has been talking around): "You could have stood to be less busy than you were."

 **Ranger** (pointedly to Bob and Nebula): "Which still leaves MY team allied with an alien that has sent five superheroes and two dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel to eternal torment in a pocket dimension over the last ten months."

 **Nebula** : "They assaulted a duly-authorized member of the Tel'narian Guard. I can no more forgive their offenses than you can exist without breathing."

 **Starforce** : "Do you REALLY want Dr. Destroyer in possession of her Duress Gauntlets? Even *without* considering his current pursuit of Die Glocke?"

(awkward pause)

 **Ranger** (to Bob, low voice): "Don't you EVER put me in this position again."

 **Starforce** : "Yes, sir."

 **Ranger** : "Now that I've vented, assume Destroyer will take Die Glocke by the end of the weekend. Where is he going to go with it?"

 **Starforce** : "Personally, if I were him I'd *fake* evacuating it from Groom Lake and keep it there."

 **Ladyhawk** : "DAMN, Nerd-boy. That's sick!"

 **Starforce** : "However, I believe he would take it to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico."

 **Mr. Bassman** : "Why?"

 **Starforce** : "It's the most deserted place in America with which he would be familiar." (beat) "In the four years he resided in America after Operation Paperclip, he took many trips there, mostly to assist with launching and modifying captured V-2 rockets. His first known visit was the Trinity test in July 1945."

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "What was that?"

 **Starforce** : "The first detonation of a nuclear weapon in human history."

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "Oh."

 **Starforce** : "Also, Destroyer's going to need a power source for Die Glocke. Guess what ProStar just sold to the Army lab at White Sands?"

 **Ranger** (beat, dawning horror): "Oh, crap. We just shipped it on Friday!"

 **Starforce** : "Yep."

 **Nebula** : "Sold what to the Army?"

 **Starforce** : "One state-of-the-art monopolar-catalyzed fusion reactor. Well, state of the art for our world, at least..."

 **Ladyhawk** : "We need to verify that it arrived."

 **Ranger** : "Ya think?"

* * *

(stately Dormyer Manor. Sunday afternoon. Julie is doing a martial arts workout on the back patio)

 **Ladyhawk** (internal monologue): [[still too cold to fill the pool. Would've preferred to lap swim, work on my cardio]]

(Nebula walks out onto the back patio, wearing what appears to be a variant of Starforce's armor)

 **Ladyhawk** (sarcastically): "Well, well, well. Look who emerged from the love nest."

 **Nebula** : "I needed to stretch and exercise."

 **Ladyhawk** : "And where did you get that armor?"

 **Nebula** : "There is an underground room beneath your garage. Robert wasn't sure if it was a bomb shelter or a wine cellar."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Bomb shelter. Daddy was going to turn it into a wine cellar but never got the chance."

 **Nebula** : "Robert has converted it into a private lab, mostly for doing research and maintenance on his armor. The fabbers he has in it were able to build this to my measurements overnight."

 **Ladyhawk** : "What'd he give you?"

 **Nebula** : "Simple protection, enough to last me until I can get my normal Tel'narian armor back."

 **Ladyhawk** : "And he wanted you to try it out on me."

 **Nebula** : "*I* wanted to try it out." (beat) "If you're offering me a combat training exercise, I accept."

(Julie bows to Nebula, who reciprocates. Then she assumes the ready position)

(Julie launches an initial punch sequence, which Nebula blocks. Julie disengages, then Nebula starts with a kick and punch sequence that ends with Julie almost tripping her with a leg sweep)

 **Ladyhawk** : "You're quick. You should have ended up on the ground."

 **Nebula** : "You're very aggressive for someone so weak and slow."

(Julie kick sequence ends with Nebula holding Julie's leg and throwing her. She makes her Acrobatics roll and tumbles back to her feet without damage)

 **Nebula** : "You're fighting angry now. That's a mistake."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Am not!"

 **Nebula** : "Your denial betrays you."

(Julie launches another attack sequence, which Nebula blocks without counterattacking)

 **Nebula** : "This wouldn't happen to be about Robert, would it?"

(Julie's attack sequence this time is almost primal in its viciousness. Nebula barely blocks and parries it)

 **Nebula** : "It IS! You think I'm stealing him from you!"

(Julie screams and attacks all-out, leaving herself open to a 12d6 counterpunch that sends her flying. She makes her Acrobatics roll, but has taken 2 BODY)

 **Ladyhawk** (internal monologue, clutching side): [[she is FAR stronger than she looks]]

(Julie charges again. Nebula hits, but Julie makes an Acrobatics roll to activate her 'Artful Dodging' power, taking no damage. Julie hits, and with the help of a hair-pull puts Nebula into a choke hold.)

(Screaming with pain, Nebula tosses Julie off overhand. Julie makes her Acrobatics roll again, tumbles in mid-air, and makes a three-point landing next to some gardening tools Shina had left out)

(now almost blind with rage, Julie grabs a rake and swings it overhand. Nebula activates her Thrombalic sword power and blocks, slicing it in half)

(awkward pause as Julie looks at what's left of her rake and Nebula looks at the almost reddish-black hue of her powers. They look at each other. Julie drops the rake remnants as Nebula deactivates her power)

 **Ladyhawk** (gasping and laughing): "Look at us. Fighting over a man just like we're in a damn soap opera!"

 **Nebula** (smiles): "YOU were fighting for him."

 **Ladyhawk** (sits down gingerly, still holding her side): "You don't... love him?"

 **Nebula** (sits down next to her): "As a friend, yes." (beat) "As a mate? No."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Oh." (beat) "He didn't seduce you, did he?"

 **Nebula** : "Entirely by accident. He said all of the right things, pushed all the right buttons with me psychologically, but looked very surprised when I took the initiative."

 **Ladyhawk** (blushing slightly): "So you haven't... had sex every night with him?"

 **Nebula** : "Except for Friday night, he has been sleeping by himself out on his couch."

 **Ladyhawk** (amazed): "That doesn't sound like Bob!"

 **Nebula** : "Perhaps you do not know him as well as you think."

 **Ladyhawk** : "To me he's always been geeky, sarcastic, putting me down at the drop of a hat."

 **Nebula** : "To me he has been tender, humble, chivalrous, and almost painfully shy." (beat, slight smile) "But aggressive exactly when he needed to be."

(Julie looks at Nebula)

 **Nebula** (continuing): "By his own admission he has very little experience with females. Perhaps he is trying to keep you from hurting him?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Why would I want to do that?"

 **Nebula** : "You could try asking him."

 **Ladyhawk** : "And why would I want to do THAT?"

(if she had pupils, Nebula's eyes would be rolling)

 **Nebula** : "Fortunately for you, the Supreme Code is silent on this particular instance of poor intraspecies communication."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Okay, I was just kidding on that last question."

 **Nebula** : "If you're looking for companionship from a human male, you could do far worse than Robert." (beat) "If I am interpreting his comments correctly, you already have several times."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Wait a minute. Bob wouldn't have said that unless he CARES about me!"

 **Nebula** : "Enough to tap the security cameras on your front porch to make sure you're OK at the end of your dates."

 **Ladyhawk** : "That's a little creepy..."

 **Nebula** : "He told me it was practice for when he has a daughter."

(Julie giggles. Shina steps out on the patio with a phone)

 **Shina** : "Phone call, Julie-san. It is Master Theodore."

(Nebula helps Julie back to her feet. She walks over to Shina)

 **Ladyhawk** (murmured to Shina): "Thank you." (to phone) "Hi, Ted. What's up?"

(long pause)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Aw, CRAP... Well, it's not like we weren't trying to WARN them or anything..." (pause) "Part of me wants to believe Nerd-boy's first theory that it's still going to be at Groom Lake just because that would be so twisted..." (pause) "Ted, let's not overcomplicate this. I completed my check-rides on the Gulfstream last week. If we leave before 11 I can have us there by noon local." (pause) "Yeah, ProStar Hangar at Love Field." (pause) "No, you guys can arrive at 10, I'll need to be there at 9 for pre-flight." (pause) "Okay, see you tomorrow, bye."

 **Nebula** : "Dr. Destroyer has stolen Die Glocke?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Yes." (beat) "The game's afoot!"

* * *

(Visiting Hangar, White Sands Missile Range, NM, noon-ish Monday)

(TASK FORCE prepares for their latest mission on board ProStar's corporate Gulfstream)

 **Sage** (looking like one of the Blues Brothers): "I look ridiculous."

 **Mr. Bassman** : "You look fine. Just remember, you're Elwood and Kent's Jake."

 **Sage** : "I don't know WHY I ever agreed to watch that movie..."

 **Ladyhawk** : "And you HAVE to wear sunglasses."

 **Sage** : "Against you humans' puny sun? Please..."

 **Ranger** : "To hide the flare of power from your eyes as you read the lab commander's mind?"

 **Spiritual Warrior** (looking at Starforce): "But before we do THAT..."

 **Starforce** (beat): "Do we have to?"

 **Ranger** : "It's the only way to get you off the plane without being seen. How long do you think you'll take?"

 **Starforce** : "Standard search grid over an area the size of White Sands? Couple of hours at least, unless I get insanely lucky."

 **Ranger** (to Vikon): "Can you hold a mind link with Starforce AND probe the colonel's mind?"

 **Sage** : "Shouldn't be a problem."

(Vikon and Starforce look at each other, then nod)

 **Ranger** : "Then let's get started."

 **Starforce** (to Kent): "You want me facing away. That's too nice a suit for me to throw up all over it."

(He turns his back to Kent and grimaces in anticipation. Kent puts a hand on Starforce's shoulder)

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "Porting in 3... 2... 1..."

(zzzzZZZZZAP!)

(zzzzZZZZZAP!)

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "Glad I memorized that location by the dumpster as we were taxiing into the hangar."

 **Nebula** : "What was Robert talking about?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "He has an allergic reaction to most forms of teleportation."

 **Nebula** : "And he STILL went through with it?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "That's what makes Nerd-boy a hero."

* * *

(Commander's office, Army Research Lab, White Sands Missile Range, NM. one hour later)

 **Spiritual Warrior** : ((is it normal to be kept waiting like this in the Army? Your appointment was 10 minutes ago))

 **Ranger** : ((the sarcastic answer is that 'Hurry Up and Wait' is a time-honored military tradition))

 **Spiritual Warrior** : ((and the non-sarcastic answer?))

 **Ranger** : ((a typical signature move of a poor leader. He is attempting to upset us and establish his control over us before a single word is spoken))

 **Mr. Bassman** : ((too bad one of you is a telepath. More time for him to work))

(Ted smiles)

 **Ranger** : ((Vikon, anything yet?))

 **Sage** : ((he is intending to use radiation concerns over the reactor as leverage over you))

 **Starforce** : ((what part of the phrase 'aneutronic fusion burn' does he NOT understand?))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((people don't go to jail for being stupid about nuclear physics. They do for procurement fraud.))

 **Ranger** : ((Vikon?))

 **Sage** : ((Hmm. A junior officer called a GAO audit in on a weapons lethality program he was running, and the commander is both attempting to ruin that officer's career and save the careers of the actual guilty parties above him in that chain of command. It is not a program in which ProStar participates, though))

 **Ranger** : ((keep digging))

(beat)

 **Sage** : ((Is it normal for military officers to be taking cash payments directly from commercial companies?))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((HELL no. Details, man!))

 **Sage** : ((the company is Nichols Research))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((subsidiary of ACI. Oh, great))

 **Ranger** : ((they *lost* the contract we won with ARL. Lost the award protest, too))

 **Starforce** : ((that pulson-induced fission idea of theirs was neat, but obsolete the moment I captured my first monopole in college))

 **Ranger** : ((focus, Bob))

 **Sage** : ((blasting times, dates, and places to you and Miss Dormyer now))

(a rapid montage of information is flashed into their brains) /* 2d6 Cumulative Major Transform vs. ECV */ 

**Secretary** : "Mr. Jameson? The Colonel will see you now."

 **Ranger** (getting up): "I'm sure he will."

(Ted, Kent, and Vikon enter the commander's office. Col. Murphy is about an inch shorter than Ted with receding blonde hair)

 **Murphy** : "Mr. Jameson! Come on in!"

 **Ranger** : "Colonel."

 **Murphy** : "You were Army once, correct?"

 **Ranger** : "West Point, Class of '79. I still serve in the Reserves."

 **Murphy** : "I was teaching Calculus there at the time."

 **Ranger** : "I remember your course. Especially the part where you graded homework by volume, not content."

 **Starforce** : ((SERIOUSLY? What a bastard...))

 **Murphy** : "If you work at something enough, you'll understand it."

 **Ranger** : "You didn't call me in to reminisce about old times, Colonel. What do you want?"

 **Murphy** : "The reactor your company was supposed to deliver to my lab. Where is it?"

 **Ranger** : "Why don't you ask Marcia?"

 **Murphy** : "Who's Marcia?"

 **Ranger** : "The representative of Nichols Research who gave you $50,000 to divert the MMR-2 from its intended destination. In cash."

 **Murphy** : "I have no idea what you're talking about."

 **Ranger** : "Would you like me to describe the restaurant in Las Cruces where the deal was made Friday night, or the hotel where the two of you checked in afterwards to celebrate?" (beat) "I can give you the room number if it will help to jog your memory."

(Col Murphy is white as a sheet)

 **Ranger** : "This may be the '80s, but the Army takes SUCH a dim view of marital infidelity in its senior officers. Almost as dim as bribery, fraud, and giving illegal orders to soldiers."

(Col Murphy collapses into his chair)

 **Murphy** : "L-l-look, I'll give you anything you need to know! Please..."

 **Ranger** (slams desk and leans toward Murphy, shouting): "Then TELL me where you sent the MMR-2!"

 **Murphy** : "I-i-i... don't know! I had the MPs divert the truck to a trailer Nichols has out at one of the test ranges up north! I don't know where it went from there."

 **Sage** : ((he tells the truth))

 **Ranger** (leans back): "No matter. I have reason to believe it hasn't left the base."

 **Murphy** (panicked): "I'll give you ANY amount of money! Please, don't talk!"

 **Ranger** (disgusted): "We're done here." (beat, turning to leave) "Once PRIMUS arrives to hunt for Dr. Destroyer, I'm going to be the LEAST of your worries."

* * *

(Near Oscura Peak, White Sands Missile Range)

 **Starforce** (flying, singing to himself): "We was rollin' up interstate 44 like a rocket sled on rails. We tore up all of our swindle sheets and left them settin' on the scales..."

(an alarm goes off on his mask)

 **Starforce** : "LIDAR?!?"

(he dives immediately into the ridge line around Oscura Peak, losing the signal. He lands in an arroyo and brings up some more navigational overlays within his mask, projecting the origin point of the laser hit)

 **Starforce** : "Oh, that is TOO much of a coincidence! Now how do I get to that westward-protruding ridge 2 miles north of here to get a better look?"

(After some quick work with his suit computer, he takes to the air barely above the ground. A minute later, he is three miles east of the Trinity Site. He cycles through sensor filters for several seconds as he finds himself a secure hiding place with a clear field of view)

 **Starforce** : ((hey guys? I'm imaging the old Trinity test site now and you're NOT gonna believe what I just found))

 **Ranger** : ((go on))

 **Starforce** : ((Nebula's Duress gauntlets appear to be in the middle of an interdiction field approximately 1 kilometer in diameter centered roughly at Ground Zero. There is also an airstrip with a cargo-variant Boeing 747 on it, a modern-art reconstruction of Stonehenge in that area similar to the one in Lady Blue's notes on Die Glocke, and a lot of temporary trailer-like structures. Oh, and guess what's sitting in the middle of mod-art Stonehenge?))

 **Ranger** : ((the interdiction field. Is it teleporation-only?))

 **Starforce** : ((signature match is EXACT for the interdiction field Dr. Destroyer had around his island in 1984))

 **Ranger** : ((crap. It's suppressing psionics as well))

 **Sage** : ((great. I'll be useless once inside it))

 **Spiritual Warrior** : ((even with NO interdiction field, my teleport is going to be mass-limited at that range))

 **Ranger** : ((we could have worked around that)) (beat) ((I would prefer NOT to have to fight our way across that last kilometer. Ideas?))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((could we use the jet and fly in?))

 **Starforce** : ((insane AND suicidal. What's not to like?))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((har har, Nerd-boy))

 **Ranger** : ((actually, that might work. Are there any terrain features that would help us get close?))

(Starforce blanks out his video feed and throws up a 3D terrain map inside his mask)

 **Starforce** : ((everyone getting that image?))

 **Ranger/Ladyhawk/Spiritual Warrior/Mr. Bassman/Sage/Nebula** : ((yes))

 **Starforce** : ((the flashing dot is my current position, roughly 2 miles north of Oscura Peak and 3 miles east of Trinity. Note the valley east of Oscura Peak and the line I'm drawing up it mentally. Ninjette, if you can fly the jet nap-of-the-earth and hop the ridgeline just south of North Oscura Peak HERE you'll be 4 miles northeast of his base. No other approach gets you this close before detection))

 **Ranger** : ((will you have enough time to suppress antiaircraft defenses for our landing?))

 **Starforce** : ((give me a heads-up when you're two minutes out. That should be enough))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((we're wheels-up in five, projected flight time 20 minutes, Nerd-boy))

 **Starforce** : ((I'll be ready, Ninjette))

* * *

(White Sands Missile Range airstrip)

 **Radio** : "ProStar 745, you are cleared for takeoff on runway 00. Good hunting."

 **Ladyhawk** : "745. Copy that, and thank you."

(Ladyhawk taxis the Gulfstream to the south end of the runway and turns onto it. She removes a CD from a case and pops it into a console behind and to her left)

 **Ladyhawk** (standing on brakes as she spools the engines to full power): "Well boys, it's 106 miles to the Trinity site, we've got a full tank of JP-4, no cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

 **Ranger** : "Hit it."

(Ladyhawk starts the CD and releases the brakes. The Gulfstream leaps down the runway like it was catapulted and takes off to "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. Ranger looks at Ladyhawk as they climb out)

 **Ladyhawk** (beat): "Please don't tell Bob."

 **Ranger** : "That you used a Blues Brothers reference on takeoff or that you agree with him that life requires a soundtrack?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "Yes."

* * *

(ProStar 745, approaching Trinity Site National Historic Landmark)

 **Ladyhawk** : ((2 minutes out. GO, Starforce!))

 **Starforce** : ((on the way))

(tense pause)

 **Starforce** : ((I think I have their attention. It's like I just kicked over an ant hill dead ahead))

 **Ranger** : ((what's the AA like?))

 **Starforce** : ((already ducked three missiles, fourth inbound... got it. Those launch sites are history once I'm in range))

(As he continues to dodge and/or shoot down incoming missiles, Starforce proceeds to abuse the mental link with his teammates by remembering the music to the Hoth Asteroid Belt sequence from 'The Empire Strikes Back' in Dolby Surround Sound)

 **Starforce** : ((Vareeta? Do you see the building just to the right of Die Glocke from my viewpoint?))

 **Nebula** : ((Yes))

 **Starforce** : ((Your gauntlets are there. Point defenses just came online, I'm gonna be a little busy now))

 **Nebula** : ((Good luck, Robert))

(Vikon shakes his head slightly)

 **Sage** (to rest of mindlinked team): ((Starforce just flew into the interdiction field. I can't reach him anymore))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((60 seconds to landing. Hang on))

(Ladyhawk banks the Gulfstream hard left through the pass Starforce recommended and gets her first good look of the Trinity Site as she dives back to the deck. They are 4 miles out, under 100 feet local altitude, and north of 350 knots airspeed)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Oh my God..."

(there are nothing but explosions ahead of the Gulfstream. Pulson bolts and missiles vainly try to reach the shooting star which continually weaves around them as it attacks targets on the ground)

 **Ranger** : ((right into the middle of that, soldier))

 **Ladyhawk** : ((that ought to be fun))

(As they hit the interdiction field, Ladyhawk hits the thrust reversers, spools the engines to full power, and drops the landing gear. A missile from a launcher Starforce missed shoots by in front of them as everyone is yanked forward HARD in their restraints)

(The landing gear hits ground while the Gulfstream is still over 200 knots, and Ladyhawk stands on both rudder pedals. Surprisingly, the gear survives until they decelerate to below 100 knots. With a tremendous THUMP and screech of tortured metal, the Gulfstream finishes its slide-out on its belly, finally stopping close to Die Glocke)

 **Ladyhawk** (shaking her head in disbelief): "Any landing you can walk away from..."

 **Ranger** : "BLOW THE HATCH GO GO GO!"

(Nebula is first to the door, pulling the emergency release lever)

(TASK FORCE exits their ride. The missile that missed them on final approach has done a vertical loop and is heading toward them again. Before anyone can attack it, Starforce flies in and grabs the missile. He lifts it away from the Gulfstream, but before he can throw it toward Die Glocke it explodes)

 **Ladyhawk** : "STARFORCE!!"

(Starforce is knocked into the ground by the force of the blast and rolls to a stop not too far from Ladyhawk. Fortunately, his forcefield flickers off AFTER impact. Ladyhawk runs over)

 **Starforce** (groggily): "How'd I do?"

 **Ladyhawk** (holding him): "Nerd-boy, you IDIOT! You almost got yourself KILLED!"

 **Starforce** : "I was hoping for a simple 'Thank You'..."

(Starforce passes out)

(Ladyhawk holds him for another second or so until her Danger Sense goes off. Without looking, she tosses a load of marbles behind her, causing 3 of the 4 approaching Destroyer-agents to slip and fall [AE Change Environment -6 to DEX rolls]. The last one is KO'ed by a back-kick, pulson rifle briefly in mid-air until she grabs it for herself. A flash-bang takes the fallen agents the rest of the way out of this fight)

(while this has been happening, Mr. Bassman has been mowing down Destroyer-agents with various ranged drains of his own. Ranger runs by)

 **Ranger** : "Bassman? Die Glocke! Break it!"

 **Mr. Bassman** : "One shattered Bell-ting comin' up, mon!"

(Funny sensations crawl over everyone still conscious as he starts using his PD drain on Die Glocke. In the background, we can see Spiritual Warrior mowing down Destroids right and left with Khereviel. Ranger is going through agents through the miracle of speed-fu multiple move-by sweeps)

(Ladyhawk has been sniping agents at range herself with the borrowed pulson rifle. She shoots it dry and then uses it as a club to take out another approaching agent before hitting the previously-flashed agents with ANOTHER flash-bang. This time, she liberates a pulson rifle and a grenade-rifle)

 **Ladyhawk** (tossing the pulson rifle to Sage): "Here. Make yourself useful and cover me."

(there is a flash of teleportation energy, and Dr. Destroyer appears [his own teleportation web is immune to the interdiction field, natch]. Synaptic Interference cannon takes Mr. Bassman out before he can destroy Die Glocke. Destroyer stares off into space as if he is calculating something, then casually reaches his left arm out. Ranger runs into it at that precise moment and is knocked out)

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "For Destroyer, a simple matter of mathematics."

(Spiritual Warrior half-move flight over to Dr. Destroyer and hits with Khereviel, 15 STUN gets through. Destroyer is knocked back 1 meter and uses his flight to keep from falling)

(Dr. Destroyer TK hits; Khereviel is flung out of Spiritual Warrior's grasp. 24d6 Destroyer-beam KO's Spiritual Warrior just as Khereviel ports back into his hand)

(Ladyhawk begins a power walk toward Dr. Destroyer, pumping a grenade into him with each phase. Destroyer takes each one unflinchingly, spending the only attack phase he chooses to use offensively on taking Sage out with another shot of his Synaptic Interference cannon.)

(As she reaches Destroyer, she shoots the magazine of the grenade-rifle dry. She tosses the rifle to one side and stands defiantly in front of him)

 **Dr. Destroyer** (evil chuckle): "Destroyer always knew you would regret your moment of weakness, Fraulein."

(beat)

 **Ladyhawk** : "What the HELL are you talking about?"

 **Nebula** : "Albert Zerstoiten!"

(Dr. Destroyer turns around. Nebula is hovering above him, her original armor is back on, and her Duress Gauntlets are building up a charge)

 **Ladyhawk** : "Oh, this ought to be good. And permanent..."

 **Nebula** : "I find you guilty of the crimes of assaulting a duly-authorized member of the Tel'narian Guard, and stealing Guard technology. By the Power of the Republic and the authority of the Tel'Narian Guard, I sentence you to Duress for all Eternity!"

(Duress gauntlets glow, then a gem on each gauntlet blows out. Destroyer holds up two brilliantly-glowing gems)

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Perhaps your gauntlets needed these, Fraulein?"

 **Nebula** (shocked): "What... How...?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "There is no technology, either in My galaxy or yours, which Destroyer cannot understand. It was a simple matter to replace the Zero-Point Energy cells of your gauntlets with supercapacitors powering simple LEDs."

 **Ladyhawk** : "Nebula? Get out of here! Call PRIMUS in!"

 **Nebula** : "A Tel'narian Guardsman doesn't abandon their teammates..."

 **Ladyhawk** : "GET HELP. DO IT!!"

(Nebula flies off reluctantly. Dr. Destroyer lets her go)

 **Ladyhawk** : "You're not going to stop her?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "By the time she gets back to civilization, it will be too late for everyone."

* * *

(Trinity Site National Historic Landmark. One minute later)

(TASK FORCE is coming to, but bound to the outer pillars of the containment structure around Die Glocke with steel bars)

 **Ladyhawk** (to Starforce): "Are you all right?"

 **Starforce** : "The suit's intact, amazingly enough. Still seeing double, personally. Yourself?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "I wish I were on a date right now."

 **Starforce** (looking away): "Yeah, I want to beat up on Destroyer, too."

 **Ladyhawk** (beat, surprisingly un-sarcastic): "That's... not what I meant, Nerd-boy."

(Starforce looks at Ladyhawk strangely)

 **Ranger** : "Can anyone get out of their bonds?"

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "I'm secured too tight for Khereviel to fly into my hand."

 **Sage** : "The interdiction field is still up."

 **Starforce** : "He made sure my arms were at my side when I was bound. I can't shoot either the bars or the pillar."

 **Ladyhawk** : "I could cut through either if I could get my hands to my laser mini-torch. Unfortunately, he thought of that."

(Mr. Bassman clears his throat. Everyone looks at him, only to see that he is gagged as well as bound)

 **Ranger** : "He thought of that, too."

(Dr. Destroyer teleports in front of them)

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Destroyer will give you credit for trying, TASK FORCE. You destroyed my entire inventory of robots and only left four agents standing."

 **Ranger** : "Thank you. It was the least we could do."

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Thanks to your field-testing, the next superteam unfortunate enough to cross swords with Destroyer will have an even more difficult time." (beat) "I took copious notes."

 **Ranger** : "Why are we still alive?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Because Destroyer's greatest achievement deserves an audience, even if it is of lesser intellects such as yours." (beat) "In 1944, I was called into Der Riese, an extensive underground lab complex in Lower Silesia, now within modern-day Poland. Some fools had sold the Nazis on the promises of electrogravitic manipulation, but their intellects were clearly inadequate to complete the tasks required to succeed. Mine was not."

 **Starforce** : "So YOU built Die Glocke?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "I was the ONLY one of them who saw the possibilities of electrogravitics beyond propulsion or protection!" (beat, fondles the surface of Die Glocke) "The original design was crude because I was limited by the technology of my era. The radiation emitted during its testing was toxic to the surrounding environment and killed several lesser scientists who had attempted to pollute my genius."

 **Starforce** (hiding his revulsion with sarcasm): "Other than that, how did its testing go?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "The first several test flights went into a forest somewhere in England in what at the time would have been my future."

 **Starforce** : "Wait a minute. Somewhere in England?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "North of the Thames Estuary. Somewhere east of Ipswich, if you must know."

(Starforce suddenly starts laughing hysterically)

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "SILENCE! Destroyer will not entertain the prattle of lesser beings!"

 **Starforce** (still laughing): "You CAUSED the Rendlesham Forest Incidents? That is SO cool!"

(24d6 Destroyer Beam leaves a crater by Starforce's feet)

 **Starforce** (still smiling): "Sorry. Please continue."

 **Ladyhawk** (muttered to Starforce): "Are you INSANE?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Destroyer will tolerate no further insolence on your part!"

 **Starforce** : "What happened to the last test flight?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Somehow, it had ended up in the Rendlesham Forest of 1944 when I successfully recalled it."

 **Starforce** : "Then how come it's in 1986 now?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Apparently the fools at Der Riese sent it on another test flight after I left there. That would have been the flight which deposited it above North America over 20 years ago."

 **Starforce** (after a moment of Lightning Calculation): "You know, I'm not quite sure the math works out..."

 **Dr. Destroyer** (evil chuckle): "Why should it matter? Destroyer possesses again what he once created. With the help of the alien who just flew off, I have now stabilized my creation and made it even better than before!"

 **Ranger** : "And that's why you have us chained up around it?"

 **Dr. Destroyer** : "Why else would I use lab animals? I have to make sure *I* can use it safely."

(The 'Detect Energy' sense in Starforce's mask screams for attention at the same time Ladyhawk's Danger Sense fires. A swirl of pinkish-black energies forms outside the containment mesh)

 **Starforce** : "What the HELL?"

(ANOTHER Dr. Destroyer steps through the swirl wearing more advanced armor)

 **Dr. Destroyer 2** : "NO!!!"

(20d6 Destroyer-Beam from #2 pulverizes one of the monitor consoles. The components of the destroyed console fly into the air and assemble themselves as a large gun muzzle around Dr. Destroyer #2's gauntlet. 30d6 Destroyer-beam from the resulting construct misses Destroyer #1)

 **Spiritual Warrior** : "MAGIC?!?"

 **Dr. Destroyer 1** : "How are you doing that? Neurally-controlled telekinesis with a library of electronically-stored designs? Stand still so I can kill you and find out!"

 **Dr. Destroyer 2** : "If I kill YOU, here and now, before you can launch Die Glocke, my timeline comes back into existence!"

 **Starforce** : "Okay, I'm confused."

(In a second surge of pinkish energies, *another* portal opens. A *THIRD* Dr. Destroyer, wearing armor very similar to the armor worn by the second Dr. Destroyer, strides through)

 **Dr. Destroyer 3** : "IMPOSTOR! NO ONE claims the mantle of Destroyer but ME!"

(30d6 Destroyer-beam from Destroyer #3 knocks Destroyer #2 back into another console)

 **Starforce** : "I take that back. NOW I'm confused."

(Doctors Destroyer #2 and #3 now fight as Destroyer #1 teleports out. In the crossfire of punches, Destroyer-beams, soliloquies, and other energies, the console Dr. Destroyer #1 was using to control Die Glocke is hit and shorts out. Die Glocke activates)

 **Ranger** : "That can't be good."

(Energy builds furiously around Die Glocke as it levitates and begins spinning. Glowing tendrils of energy lash out at the containment mesh to which TASK FORCE is secured)

 **Ladyhawk** (wide-eyed with fear): "Bob?"

 **Starforce** : "What?"

 **Ladyhawk** : "I l..."

(In a searing flash of light, Die Glocke and TASK FORCE vanish)

* * *

(fin)


End file.
